Race game



Jan. 1, 1929.

1,697,023 L. M. E. ROTTENBURG RACE GAME Filed April 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet ll Jan. 1, 1929.- 1,69'2023 L. M. E. ROTTENBURG Y RACE GAME Filed April 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IJ i l MW Patented Jan. 1929.

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LoN n. n. noTrENnURG, or IxnLLns-nnussnns, BELGIUM.'

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Application mea Apriiao, 19,27, serial No. 185,363, and 'in Beigitm November 5,1926.

The present invention relates to appliances for a race ygame vto be played indoors, of the kind wherein miniature horses are moved over a divided and numbered chart representing a race course, the moves being determined by chance. j l

The game to be played has for its object: (1) to realize at home in a complete'l and per.- fect manner, vthe imitation of horse-races in all their details, varieties and events, so as to afford the illusion that the game is playedby means of actual'horses, mounted by actual jockeys and moving upon a rea-l race-track; (2) to obtain a constant and compact,A group of the competitors during the time of a competition, so that each of them retains up to the end` a chance of winning; (3) to divide the competitors by expertness such as in ac- -tual races, so that the aspectators can mathematically state the chances Vof each/'competitor.

The invention consists in a material imit'a- D tion at a suitable scale of all the accessories and installations of an actual race course, use being made of special dice described ,hereinafter, which allow the application of the calculus of-probabilities with a view to maintain the horses in a compact group and so as to attributeto the competitors different de- 30 I grecs of expert'ness. y

'Ehe invention will be described hereinafter with reference to ,the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. lshows a plan view of the race course upon which the game will be played;

Figs. 2 to 11 are diagrammatic views rep.- resenting the installations and accessories used in this game;

Figs. 12 to 19 show the development of the special dice used. e l

The' game will be played upon a gameboard of suitable material v'and which will represent a green` whereupon tracks are.

traced, the design of said tracks being similar; to the disposition of'k actual race courses. Proovision will be madefor flat races, hurdle races and Steeple-'chases (see Fig. 1). These tracks are subdivided in small graduations by transgrounds.

versal lines, the compartments being'numlowered usually from 1 .to 150. The tracks are defined by means of linesvand bear the impediments usually installed in actual race- The usual installations of racegrounds are placed in appropriatepositions upon the game-board, not only to give at the whole the vfamiliar' sight of a race course, butspectively appropriated to receive the 'I amounts. of the' betting at winning or the betting at placed, To each of these betting establishments is annexed a box containing the tickets to be distributed (Fig. 5).-

The hindrances which are dispersed over .y

the track are imitations of the various items which can be seen in actual steeplechases or hurdle-races. Fig. 6 shows, by wa?T of example, one of the impediments used.

On a level with the compartment numbered marked with their particular chances, such as advance points or frise points to which 'willbe referred hereafter, said markingbein made by the introduction of plates (Fig. 8

150 facing the grand stand, is erected the winbearing the necessary indications. Theplates as also the boa-rds which will give the average point about which the race willbe played are stored in a casing illustrated in Fig. 9. Model horses are used,xeach bearing a number near the saddle (FigflO), as also model jockeys having various coloured dressings (Fig. 11), said jockeys being interchangeable or all the horses. I f y The race-track being divided into numbered compartments, the progressive movement of. the competitors is determined by means of dice bearing a special numbering,

so as to allow a very large number of combie.

nations and to realize furthermore a constant and compact .group of progressinghorses. This latter eifect ,cannot be -obtained by the use of the ordinary dice. In a throw of three ordinary dice, the lowest number thrown is 3 and the highest one 18. Between these maximum and minimum numbers the diiference is of 15 points for an average point of:

or lOl/2.. It is materially impossible in theseconditions to maintain the competitors in a serrated compact group during the progression ofthe race. The dice used in the present game are numbered so as to lower the di'erence between the eXtreme throws and to make this difference no more a multiple number but a fraction of the average point.

In the improved indoor `race game use will be made of eight dice, as illustrated in Figs. 12 to 19, the special numbering of which allows, when use is made of two dice, to reduce the difference between the extreme throws to 4, and as' use is made of three dice at a time, to reduce this difference to 6. If the game is played by means of the combination of the dice Figs. 14, 15 and 16, theaverage point of these dice is: 4+5l6=15; the. minimum throw is 12 and the maximum throw 18; t-he difference is only 6 for an average point of 15. If the dice Figs. 17, 18, and 19 will be used in combination, this constant difference of 6 points will be accompanied by an average point of 24. With such dice, which have been coloured in different colours to facilitate the handling, the horses will remain in group during the competition, so as to maintain the same interest in the race, as can be seen in actual horse races.

I am aware that in an indoor game imitating 4golf use has been made of dice bearinfr also a numbering adapted to lessen the di erence between the maximum and minimum throws, but in such game dice are used in a quite diffe-rentk intention and combination.

Furthermore, by lthe use of the set of dice' .as illustrated, spectators can observe, as the race progresses, the chances of each of the competitors, knowing that'with three dice selected from said set, it will be possible to have 216 combinations, which can be designed as follows:

If m will denote the average point adoptedY by the choice of dice: for 216 throws there will be the following possible throws: eight times m-3, twenty-four times m2, fortyeight times m-1, fifty-six times m, fortyeight times m-l-l, twenty-four times m+ 2, and eight times m+3. The chances to bring forth each of the points in the aforesaid succession will be of: 1/27, 3/27, 6/27, 7/27, 6/27, 3/27 and 1/27.

It can be stated that the spectator, in a race whereof the distance will be covered by fifteen throws for each competitor, being desirous to calculate the chances of a horse to bring forth a second time the maximum point which he has just marked, must consider said chance as nil, as each competitor has only one chance in twenty-seven to make this point and thathe has already marked it once in the series of only fifteen thro-ws. It can be observed also how many chances each competitor has not to divert from the average point (by more than one point), as the chances of fn-1, m and m-l-l give in totalization: 6-l-7-l-6 or 19 for twenty-seven throws. That is to say the 2/3.

The game could be played by means of any combination of three dice providing for an appropriate average point, as for instance the dice of Figs. 14, 15 and 16, which provide for the average point of 15. But to realize another novel and characteristic feature of the game, namely the possibility to give to each competitor of an indoor race different and variable degrees of expertness, as it is the case in actual horse races, it was necessary to provide for a series of average points remain ing at the disposal of t-he players, because the practical realizatio-n of the game neces-4 sitates an unvariable number of throws, whatever may be the distance of the race, which may be of a half track or amount to more than two turns over the board. By means of the dice, when a game is played with two dice at a time, there remains at disposal a number of average points going from 5 to 17, this only by suitable combination of the dice; When three dice are used, there are at the disposal average points going from 9 to 24, also in a continuous manner.

If a race is to be played over 150 points which, for reasons which will be explained hereafter, it is desirous to finish in fifteen throws for each competitor, the necessary average point will be 10. 'If the distance determined is 300 points, the average point should be 20, etc. Thereby it becomes possible to divide the competitors by expert-ness by very simple means allowing to calculate the chance of each competitor and to present in this way favourites and outsiders.

Assuming that, instead of playing independent parties without connection between each other, some players will form a club having regular meetings and wherein the players will be owners of a fictitious stable whereof the elements are regularly recorded in a stud-book and which will comprise horses of different ages (2, 3, 4, 5, 6 years or more) and adapted for different categories of races (flat, hurdle-races, Steeple-chases, etc.) After the first race meeting, the winning and placed competitors will take benefit of a certain number of start-off points, which are allowed to them and recorded in the stud-book. In the following meeting these competitors will make use of these startsoff points which will be added at starting to their first throw of dice. If this number of start-off points is lower than the difference possible between the throws, the compact formation of the group will not be disturbed by the allowance of said advantages, but if such number of start-off points tation of an actual race will not be suiiiciently executed. Therefore, as soon as the number memes l` ofstart-oil points attains the number of 4, 5 or 6, they`are replaced by a rise point.A

By a frise point is understood a point that is allowedto the competitors each time that the total numbering of their throw will remain inferior to the average point. 1f we refer tb the` chances as described herebefore, it can be stated that for a number X of dice throwsithere are nearly 1/3, (exactly 10/27) that remain beneath the average point, whereas 1/3 remain above the average' point and the remaining 7 /27 is equal to said point. Therefore, replacing 4 start-otl| points for instance by one rise point necess-itates that the race Should be ended in twelve dice throws lfor each horse, as for 'such twelve throws. there are four points beneath the average point, for which the favourite horse will take ,benefit each timeofan additional rise point. If the .rise point will be substituted for instance for five start-off points, this will necessitatev that the race should be played in 3 5=15 throws.

. The same regulation can ,be applied for determining thebeneit of two rise points, equivalent in this case V to ten start-oil' points for a race of fifteen throws, or of three rise points being equivalent to {ifteen start-off poinits in the same conditions.`

By the creation of the rise points there is substituted to the certainty of taking benefit of 5, 1() or 15 start-oE-points, the probability (mathematically equal and even somewhat higher) of such benefit. Really. one rise point4 corresponds mathematically to 51/2 start-ofi points; two rise points toA 11 start-off points, and three rise points to 161/2 start-ofiI points and in special con- 'ditioned races or handicaps where the horses take benefit of all or of part of their advantages, the imitation of an actual race will remain perfect, as the influence of rise points will only be brought forward as the race progresses, allowing the winning of the favourites at the end of the race only, with-` out, however, firmly ensuring such winning, which eventually would cancel any interest in the game. In handicaps, however, which theoretically in races level the value loi the competitors, no advantage will be granted to the horses engaged, but the beneit of their winning will obviously be added to the points y `previously obtained.

1t must be observed that the ordinary game' with independent competitions, as described before, can also be applied for all varieties of races. It is suicient to previously agree foreach competitor to have a certain number of start-off points or rise points to 4attribute conventionally a' value which ,will afford them less or more advantages. f

It must/ also be observed that, in conformity withactual races, the Speed at the end f of the race can be accelerated, as each competition ycan use 1n successlon two or more.

average points.A Thus, for a race of 150 points in 15 throws, can be substituted to using the ,single average number 10, three successive averagepoints, as for instance 8 for the live irst throws (40 points) 10 for the live following throws (50. points) and 12 for the ve last throws points), which brings forth` `the total of 150 points. y

The mechanism of hurdle-races is the same,

but here, if the point thrown for a horse will bring this latter vin a compartment occupied with an impediment, the horse-is'considered as having fallen and setout of bound. If the throw brings the horse directly in the compartment' following the impediment, there is a fault and a small loss of points.

The hindi'ances are placed in spots varying according to the length of the race and the average points used, so as to remain out of the probable grouping spots, and which can be predetermined. In a Steeple-'chase the chances for falling are much greater, the hindranccs having then a fixed place independently from the conditions of the race. Furthermore, slipping accidents want' to be added tothe ordinary accidents .provided in hurdle-races.

Furthermore, in hat races, there is only one accident provided, that 'is a non-starting. This is produced whena .competitor will throw the lowest point and this will be accompanied by a loss of points, so as to considerably lower the chances of this competitor. To avoid errors and to. allow the spectators to follow the events 4of th race, the scoring board will indicate for each competitor the number of his start-off points and that of his rise points.`

I claim:

1. Apparatus for' playingdice controlled y l,

horse race game, comprising 1n combination: playing pieces representing horses, a divided and numbered chart representing a race course, reproductions on al smaller scale of the installations and accessories used in actual horse-races, eachof such elements being affected'to an operation in the combination of the game, a set of numbered dice controlling the progressive movement. of the playing members, said set comprising a series of dice the lower numerals of which differ by 1 each from another, so as to allow providing of different average points.

2. Apparatus for playing dice controlled playing pleces representing horses, a divided 'and numbered chart lrepresehting a race course, reproductions on a smaller scale of the installations and accessoriesused in' actual horse-races, each of such elements being affected to an operation in the combination of the game, a setof numbered dice controlling thel progressive movement of the playing members, said set cmprising a series of horse race game, comprising in combination:

dice the lower numerals of which differ by one each from another, the numbering being such that the differences between the maximum and minimum numerals of the same die is equal to 2, with a View of maintaining the competitors in a compact group during their movement.

3. Apparatus for playing dice controlled horse racc game, comprising in combination: playing pieces representing horses, a divided and numbered chart 'representing a race course, reproductions on a smaller scale of the installations and accessories used in actual horse'eraces, each of such elements being alccted to an operation in the combination et the game., a set of numbered dice controlling the progressive movement of the playing members7 said set comprising a series of dice, the lower numerals of which differ by 1 each from another, the numbering beingsuch that the dierence between the maximum and minimum'numerals of the same dice is equal to 2, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I signed hereunto my name.

LEON M. E. ROTTENBURG. 

